wilson and p



E. R. WILSON AND P.,H. BEST.

TOY SUBMARINE! APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1921'.

. 1 427 669 Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC I1.

EDWARD R. WILSON AND, PERCY H. BEST, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

TOY SUBMARINE.

Application filed June 29, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Enwarm R. /ViLsoN and PERCY H. Bnsr, citizens of the United States, and residents of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ccnnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Submarines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel amusement device and has more especial reference to water toys adapted to be propelled on and beneath the surface of the water and designed in imitation of any desired object as for instance, submarine boats, fish, ducks, etc.

A feature of the invention is to provide a submergible object of the present character which, while of the simplest and most economical construction, will be reliable for an indefinite period of times in ideally performing its intended function as will fully hereinafter appear.

A. further and more specific object is to provide a toy which can be carried out in a practical way in the form of a submarine boat and be equipped with simple means for automatically shifting the center of gravity of said boat to and from a normal position to alternately maintain the same in horizontal and oblique positions, and with driving means for propelling the boat forwardly in a plane which approximately. coincides with the longitudinal axis of said boat, whereby, when horizontally positioned, the boat will be propelled in a planewhich is parallel with the surface of the body of water in which the boat is situated, and, when obliquely positioned, will be driven to or toward the bottom of said body of water. To

this end we provide a toy boat which preferablyhas a displacement capacity suflicient to maintain it but partially submerged, so that when said boat has returned to its normal, horizontal position and is completely submerged'a greater or less distance, it will. immediately return to its natural, partially submerged position, whence, when said submarine is again shifted to oblique position,

it will again be driven downwardly in the body of water to repeat the cycle just described, and we provide within the body or hull of said toy submarine boat, a longitudinally movable weight which is normally located to give said submarine an even keel, but which is arranged to be at intervals Specification of Letters Patent.

stem 13 positioned beneath Patented Aug.

Serial No. 481,264.

moved longitudinally forward in said body or hull by means of a clock spring move-- ment or other motor constituting the drivmg mechanism of a boat, and thence re leased to return to its normal position, some suitable means, such as a coil spring, being utilized to immediately return said weight to that position it must occupy within the body or hull to establish an even keel, as soon as released from said clock spring movement, and a segment associated with said clock spring movement and a rack associated with said movable weight, preferably COnStitHt-ing the simple means for i111- parting said longitudinal forward movement to said weight.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will now be fully described, it being understood that such changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made as fall within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

h in of Fig. 1, but showing the contriv- I ance in an oblique position. v

Supported from the body or hull 10 of the boat, as by means of brackets 11 is a clock spring. movement 12, including a winding key opening lfl forwhich there is a closure cap 15, and a driving shaft 16 of ordinary or preferred construction, adapted to the purpose of rotating the propeller shaft 17 carrying the propeller 18 which is preferably set to drive the boat in a plane approximately coinciding with the longitudinal axis thereof. The outer surface of the hull may be equipped with fins 1.9 and the hull may have therein lead or other suitable ballasts 20. The parts and arrangement of parts so far described are common in toy boats and need no further description.

A suitable way 21, located upon the hull and extending longitudinally thereof, receives a longitudinally movable weight 22 "tablish an even keel. Rollers 25, best shown in Fig. 2, mounted upon said rack, are

adapted to ride upon tracks 26, constituting inturned fianges of the way 21, to hold the weight away from the bottom of said way 21 to thus reduce friction as said weight is moved longitudinally forward in said boat and returned to its normal position in the manner now to be fully set forth.

A segment 27 which lS'HIOUIltGCl within the clock spring movement in the manner shown, or in any other preferred manner, has teeth 28 which desirably extend over an arc of about 180, and the teeth 28 of said segment are designed to mesh with the teeth of the rack 23, said rack and segment preferably having a corresponding number of teeth.

The manner in which the boat operates will be obvious. The segment 27 rotates continuously forward, in clocluvise direction as shown by the arrow in the drawing, to be in engagement for one-half of each of its revolutions with the teeth of the rack 23, with the result that the rack and its weight are moved longitudinally forward from the normal position in which shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing to that in which shown in Fig. 3 thereof. Evidently, as the segment rotates further forwardly, the last tooth thereof is removed from the last tooth of the'rack, and the spring returns the weight to its. position against the stop pin. The movement of the weight forwardly shifts the center of gravity of the boat to tilt the same to an oblique position, and the propeller 18, set to drive the boat in a plane which approximately coincides with the longitudinal axis thereof, causes the same to move to .or toward the bottom of the body of water in which the boat is situated. As soon as the segment has released the ratchet and the weight has returned to normal position un der the action of the coil spring 24, the boat establishes an even keel, and as the motive force is now working in a plane which is parallel with the level of the water, and

not obliquely downward therefrom as when the boat is tilted, and the displacement capacity is only sufficient to maintain the toy submarine boat partially submerged, the buoyancy of said boat will return it to about that position disclosed in Fig. 1, whence, as soon as again shiftedto oblique position, it

will. again be forced downwardly in the water.

vWhile we have shown and described our inventionas applied to, a toy submarine boat, yet it will be understood that it may be contained within and used for operating other forms of water toys such for instance as fish or birds.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V I I 1. In a submarine boat, driving mechanism set to propel said boat in a plane approximately coinciding with the longitudinal horizontal plane of the boat, and means for shifting the center of gravity of said boat to alternately maintain the same in horizontal and oblique positions, a spring motor mounted in a frame secured to the boat and including a segment of a gear, a guide-way secured to the lower portion of the motor frame, a weight and rack slidable in said guide-way and adapted to be, engaged by the segment and moved longitudinally' of the boat to tilt the same, and a spring for returning the weight and rack when disengaged by the segment, whereby theboat will level itself to be driven directly forward and at the same time rise in said body of water.

2. In a submarine boat, driving mechansm set to propel said boat in a plane approximately coinciding with the longitudinal horizontal plane of the boat, and means for shifting the center of gravity of said boat to alternately maintain .the'same in horizontal and oblique positions, a spring movement including a frame, a gear and segment of a gear, mounted in the frame, a longitudinal guide-way positioned beneath the movementand forming an integral part of the frame, a rack slidable in said guide- .way and adapted to be engaged by the segment for. movement in one direction, and a spring one part of which isconnected to a fixed member andthe other part to the. rack to move the same in. an opposite direction, whereby the boat will level itself to be driven directly forward and at the same time rise in said body of water. i

' Signed at Bridgeport, in the. county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut this 27th day of June, A. D. 1921.

Witnesses:

C. M. NEWMAN, LILLIAN M. AILING. 

